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PC Gamer
PC Gamer
Wes Fenlon

Windows 3.1 included a red and yellow 'Hot Dog Stand' color scheme so garish it was long assumed to be a joke, so I tracked down Microsoft's original UI designer to get the true story

Microsoft Windows
Windows 3.1 color schemes.

Every so often, a wonderful thing happens: someone young enough to have missed out on using computers in the early 1990s is introduced to the Windows 3.1 "Hot Dog Stand" color scheme. Back in the day Windows was pretty plain looking out of the box, with grey windows and blue highlights as the default. A number of optional color palettes gave it a bit more pep, like the wine-tinged Bordeaux or the more sophisticated teal of Designer.

And then there was Hot Dog Stand, which more or less turned Windows into a carnival.

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